Return to Lavender town
by Zerothekitsune
Summary: Twenty years have passed since Ethan Gold was challenged to a battle at Mt. Silver. The mysterious trainer that battled him vanished soon after, now a lone trainer is on the hunt for that challenger and the only place to look is the basement archives of the Pokemon tower in Lavender town...but something is there...something other then ghost types...something angry


Me: So wow, been a bit since I submitted anything, but after listening to an orchestral version of Lavender town's theme, I was suddenly inspired. Lavender town is arguably the most infamous town in the pokemon world...dark secrets, sad memories, and that unforgettable theme. I couldn't help but write this story.

 **Disclaimer: Pokemon and all related names and locations are copy write Gamefreak and Nintendo**

Fun extra: the music that inspired to write this was this lil video here: www .youtube watch?v= uH6DBwEuW6w&list =LLXQoZY8Ksncr3VTEGB2TSLA&index=1

* * *

" _Trainer Red wants to battle"_

Those were the words that would echo through years, words that would haunt every trainer's dreams as Trainer Red was considered to be the very best. Defeated all eight gyms...shut down Team Rocket...beat the elite four...went on to become champion...and then went on to capture all one hundred fifty one Kanto region pokemon. Then a couple years later, a lone trainer gets an invite to Mount Silver in the Johto region and finds the hardest battle he'd ever encounter there at the peak. A lone trainer with pitch black hair, red and white clothing, and fierce cold red eyes, the challenger...Ethan Gold commented saying that he had never faced such a perfect trainer. The mysterious trainer's team was so well trained that Ethan felt he was going to lose everything. His entire existence crushed by the work of a trainer he had never seen before.

After that incident, the mysterious trainer was never heard from again, seeming to vanish from the entirety of the world. The name only being known to Ethan whom would never want to speak about that trainer in any possible way, shape or form. Hours turned to days…days into weeks...weeks into months...and months into years…twenty years to be precise. The incident and the mysterious trainer from Mount Silver had long been forgotten, at least for most of the world….one young man however was eager to find this trainer and get an in depth interview. To learn how this trainer became so good, how his team was so perfect. But, first he'd have to get some information...and for the region, the only known accounts of this mysterious trainer were kept in the darkest building of Kanto.

The Pokemon Tower of Lavender town.

- **Lavender Town Gates: 4:30 pm-**

The red haired trainer smiled eagerly as he stared at the entrance way to the dark town of Lavender. People talked about the town in hushed whispers, some saying that a curse fell upon it after the Team Rocket incident all those years ago. Most others say that the ghost types that reside in the tower disturbed the dead and now the town was mostly abandoned, only a handful of dedicated townsfolk opting to stay. However, the red haired trainer known as Zero was eager to get to the old archives of the tower, if anything had information on the mysterious trainer of Mount Silver...it was the archives in the basement of the tower.

"Well here we are Vulpix, Lavender town...man place is creepy, but there's got to be some one around"

Zero nodded as the six tailed fire fox stuck its head out from behind its trainer, the whole town was covered in a thick layer of fog. Several buildings worn and battered by the effects of weather and time, the place seemingly draining out the positive feelings of the world around it. The flying type pokemon were silent and even the sun seemed to fade as it touched the ground of Lavender. Zero whistled a bit as he walked forward, his vulpix timidly walking with him as Zero looked around before noticing a sign in the center of the town.

"Turn back for your own safety…huh, must be some dangerous pokemon or something, cmon...let's hit the pokemon center and see if anyone knows anything about the archives"

The vulpix sighed to itself as Zero happily lead it over to the worn down building that was the Lavender town Pokemon center. The trainer blinking some after entering the building and looking around, the center's lobby was cold, empty, and dark. Any feelings of rest and relaxation had gone right out the window, the center looked like it had been uninhabited for years, but Zero wasn't going to just give up there.

"Hello? Anyone home? I'd like to rest my pokemon...hello?"

Zero frowned, where was Nurse Joy? Where was Chansey? Pokemon centers were supposed to be operational twenty four hours a day seven days a week as trainers would often have emergencies….poisoning, fainting, paralysis, broken bone, and more. Zero stared at the dust covered counter of where Nurse Joy was supposed to be working.

"Where is everyone?"

It was then that Zero heard the creaking of a door being opened and grinned, the trainer preparing to explain his business in the town before feeling the words die in his throat as an elderly woman with long gray hair hobbled her way over to the counter before peering at him with an annoyed look in her faded eyes, "and what do you want?! Eh? Botherin an old lady like myself fer what? Hm?! Well speak up sonny, I aint got all day!"

Zero blinked and shook his head before smiling kindly to the unknown woman, "oh, I was just wondering if I could rest up my pokemon and get a meal before I set out for the tower"

The moment Zero mentioned the tower, the woman went rigid and stared at him as if he had grown a second head, "the tower?! You want to go to that wretched place?! Don't ya know what that place is?!"

Zero blinked and shrugged, he had read a bit upon Lavender town's history, the tower being erected as a mass grave site for people to put their pokemon to their eternal rest, "yeah, it's a mass grave yard for deceased pokemon...it's sad but nothing terrible"

The woman sighed and shook her head while turning to look out a window, gazing at the dilapidated structure that was the Pokemon tower, the elderly lady frowning, "it's more then that sonny...it's home to spirits...and something happened there...many many years ago...something terrible. I'll heal your pokemon and give ya a bed for the night, but please...do yourself a favor...head on to Saffron or Celadon...steer clear of that tower"

Zero stared at the old woman before grinning and waving her off, "nah, I need to get into the basement archives...there's information about a specific trainer I'm looking for and as far as I know, the tower archives would be the best place to find something like that"

The old woman sighed sadly and nodded before flicking a switch, the lights of the building coming on along with the healing machine, "I'll help ya out then sonny...but do this old heart of mine a favor, do be careful...the tower isn't just a place where the dead rest...it's a being in and of itself...and for what happened, it's angry…please, don't become a permanent resident"

Zero stared with wide eyes at the old woman before grinning and giving her a confident thumbs up, "no worries ma'am...all I'm gonna do is head into the tower archives and see if there's any information on that trainer I'm researching"

The elderly lady sighed and smiled before taking Zero's vulpix, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of fresh soup and a glass of water, "I hope you find your answers sonny...but remember...respect the tower...don't follow the lights...and above all, don't listen to ANYTHING you might hear" The woman smiled again before waving to Zero, his vulpix bouncing happily from the counter after being healed up, "thanks miss, oh I forgot my name is Zero...Zeronis Exzerion to be precise, but prefer Zero"

"Ah...a pleasure to meet you Zero, please...make yourself at home...and...be safe sonny, alright?"

Zero grinned while waving to the kindly old woman before letting his vulpix snuggle into his side, the trainer slowly eating the soup while unbeknownst to Zero; the elderly woman was watching him from a nearby window...and then vanishing into the darkened gloom of the building. Zero smiled before getting up and nodding, "alright Vulpix, let's go check out the tower, there has to be something there about that trainer!"

- **The Pokemon Tower: 5:45pm-**

Zero stared up at the looming imposing structure that was the tower, it stood at an imposing thirteen stories and seemed to cast a shadow over most of Lavender town. The fire fox by Zero's side whimpering in fear as its trainer observed the worn structure.

"Dang, bigger up close huh? Well, let's get inside and look around"

Zero's vulpix shook its head and hid behind Zero's legs; for some reason, everything screamed wrong about the tower, like they weren't supposed to be there…like they were trespassing. Zero sighed and picked the fire type up into his arms, petting the vixen some while shaking his head, "oh don't be such a scardy fox, there's nothing to be frightened of...I mean sure there might be ghost types, but one good dark pulse should send them running...er...floating off, whatever ghost types do" Letting the vulpix ride in his backpack, Zero headed up to the large imposing door and went to push it open.

LeAve NoW

Only for him to pause and look around, "Huh? What? Who's there? Hello? Hmm...must have been the wind or something" Zero shook his head, for a second he could have sworn someone told him to leave. The trainer then pushing up against the old and rotted door, the old rusted hinges finally giving way as the door slowly opened with a loud groaning creak, revealing the darkened depths of the tower.

"Alright we're in! Whoa...get a load of this place" Zero looked around the main floor of the tower, dusty and worn grave markers of pokemon long past marking the floor while cob webs and mold hung from the rafters in the ceiling. The last time a person had set foot inside the tower was several years in the past, time always being a cruel mistress to structures as Zero slowly entered the main lobby of the tower. The trainer bending down to read one of the markers, brushing a thick layer of dust off, "Growly….beloved growlithe and friend, you will be in our hearts forever…geez…depressing place, hmmm...let's find the basement access"

The vulpix shivered as it stuck its head from Zero's back pack, unlike other pokemon, vulpix and ninetales were said to have a deeper connection to the world and beyond...and for Zero's vulpix right then...a paralyzing fear gripped its heart. The living weren't supposed to be here, they were angry….angry over the disrespect. At that moment, the fire fox pulled its head back into the backpack and whimpered, the noises...why wouldn't they stop?

"Vulpix? What's wrong girl?" Zero frowned at the whining coming from his fire type, he had gotten her from when he was little and not matter the incident, she was never this frightened, "cmon, hey now, it's okay, just some scary shadows is all" Zero sighed as the vulpix continued to cower in his backpack, the trainer nodding before pulling out a flashlight and continuing further into the tower's lobby.

"Let's see...basement…basement, where would be access to the basement?"

iT's NoT FaIr

"Hello?" Zero blinked as he whirled around, shining the light on the various grave markers before scratching his head. His nerves were probably just getting to him as he could have sworn someone said that it wasn't fair. Zero shook his head and laughed, it was just this eerie place playing tricks on him, "probably just a Gastly...let's see here"

The trainer looked around the main floor of the tower, taking note of the stair case leading up and the reception desk, but no stair case leading down, "huh...there has to be a way down...hmmm...let's go out and ask that old woman if she knows anything" Zero smiled at the cheerful yip from the vulpix as he turned to leave the tower, only to stop and stare as where the door should have been, there was now a wall.

"That can't be right….I was sure we came in through here" Zero now felt worried, had some ghost types trapped him in an illusion? Had he accidentally gone to a floor he wasn't supposed to? Zero ran up and felt the wall over, frowning at how solid it was, "that's not possible...there was a door here, I know it!"

hElP mE

Now Zero was getting scared, that time he knew someone was saying something, "h-hello?! S-Someone there? M-My name is Z-Zero...I-I was just coming to e-explore the b-basement, bu-but I jus-just need to leave f-for some h-help"

pLeAse...iT huRts...stoP thE nOiSE

"W-What noise? W-What's wrong? M-Maybe if y-you told me w-what's wrong I c-can help" Zero was panicking now, a disembodied voice was talking to him, the door was gone, and as far as he knew...only one person knew where he was. _Gotta get out...gotta get help!_

"Vulpix, dark pulse the wall!" However the vulpix refused to come out from his backpack, the fire fox squirming while clutching at her ears...like some sinister sound was terrorizing her. Zero growled and banged on the wall with his hands, "s-someone! Help! Anyone! We're trapped in the tower! Hello?! Please! Someone help!"

thE NoIsE...wHy Won'T It sTOp?! STOP THE NOISE!

Zero went rigid as a cold wind blew through the room, his flashlight flickering as he slowly turned around and felt his heart almost stop as standing before him wasn't a ghost type at all. It was a young boy, probably around eleven years old, ragged shirt and pants, messy brown hair...but the thing that caught Zero's attention the most was the gaping hole in the boy's head. Blood, fractured skull bits, and pieces of brain matter oozing from the wound as the boy stared at Zero with hollow eyes.

STOP THE NOISE...PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! STOP THE NOISE! IT HURTS!

Zero wanted to scream, but it felt like someone had gagged him as movement caught the corner of his eyes, the trainer staring as a Pikachu crawled towards him. Zero could only look in horror as the Pikachu had part of its tail ripped off, flayed bits of fur and skin dripping from its side while one eye had been gouged out, "s-sweet Arceus..."

STOP THE NOISE! STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!

Zero flinched at the yelling, he just wanted out of this nightmare, what noise did they mean? Why was this happening?! The trainer curling into a ball as more horrifying specters appeared, each one more terrifying then the next. A girl at about fifteen years old with a broken neck and a mutilated left arm and torn open stomach, a persian that was missing half of its face and had a hole on its back, a machamp that had all its arms twisted and bent into horrible angles, and a boy at about nineteen years old, a massive tear in his side oozing blood. Zero stared at the specters with fear, shaking his head as he kept his mouth shut to keep from losing his lunch right there.

STOP THE NOISE! MAKE IT STOP! STOP IT! IT HURTS! STOP THE NOISE!

Both Zero and his vulpix cried as they held their ears, the ghosts screaming in rage and agony, Zero just wanting this nightmare to end before blinking as a door suddenly opened behind him. The trainer wasting no time in escaping through the opened door, running out into the mist covered town of lavender before sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him towards the town gates, the trainer and his vulpix not even giving a second glance to the menacing tower.

- **Lavender Pokemon Center: 7:00 pm-**

The old lady sat in her rocking chair while looking to the tower from the window beside her, an Arbok, a Haunter, a Golbat, and a pair of Gengars resting in the room next to her. The elderly woman sadly picking up a paper that was sitting on the table in front of her, an old newspaper clipping with the heading:

 **Tragedy struck during mourning, three trainers and their pokemon crushed when tower ceiling caved in**


End file.
